Close to 24 hours ago, Paige Bueckers set the record of becoming the first-ever collegiate athlete to receive her player-exclusive sneaker edition. In February, the Connecticut Huskies star announced that she would be using her final-year eligibility for the 2024-25 season. Now another deal has been announced, which once again makes her the first NCAA player to sign an NIL deal with equity in the professional sports league. She will play alongside other hoopers for the revolutionary women’s ‘Unrivaled’ league.

A week ago, Angel Reese became the 10th player in the league, which would start in January 2025. Unrivaled is co-founded by WNBA superstars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, with backing from a star-studded investor lineup that includes Warner Bros CEO Ann Sarnoff and top athletes Megan Rapinoe, Steve Nash, and Carmelo Anthony. Talking about this 3×3 basketball league, Stewart said, “It’s amazing, not only for the salaries to be similar or more than your WNBA salary, but to be able to build brand partnerships that can’t come into the W or the NBA.”

The league will be player-owned, featuring 30 of the top women’s basketball players. Important factors about the league include that players will have equity in it, resulting in higher salaries than the WNBA. Shams Charania had reported earlier that the average WNBA salary was $120k, and with Unrivaled, the players would take home double the salary.

Since Stewart is one of the co-founders, the league offering Paige Bueckers the contract definitely adds to her legacy as an NCAA athlete. The League cap for the 30 players will be at least $7.5 million, an average of $250K, as per Charania. Secondly, the league would run during the off-season of the WNBA. Thus, players are provided the opportunity not to travel abroad and stay close to their families.

Paige Bueckers and her deal with $110.30 Billion Co.

Paige Bueckers decided to not be part of the WNBA draft, as she felt she had some unfinished business. “I just feel like I’m not done yet here,” she stated in February. Before the announcement, she was in ESPN’s top 3 picks in the mock draft. Even before the NCAA season started, the $1 million NIL athlete made huge shockwaves with her deals.

After signing with Nike in September last year, Sole Retriever revealed a day prior that “Paige Bueckers is getting her own GT Hustle 3.” The Player Edition will be available for the public from September this year. The price of the PE currently is quoted at $190. It is expected to feature in multiple colorways.

The UConn star is once again expected to be a top draft pick for the WNBA next season. Hopefully, she will be able to record a stellar performance in the upcoming season.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.”